The Institute of Philosophy ELTE RCH cordially invites everybody to the upcoming talk by Professor David T. Runia (Australian Catholic University; University of Melbourne) entitled On the Indestructibility of the Cosmos: Philo of Alexandria’s Most Controversial Work, to be held on the 2nd of October, at 17 PM.

Time: 2 October 2026, Friday, 17 PM (CET)

Venue: Institute of Philosophy, 1097, Budapest, Tóth Kálmán Street 4. Floor 7, Room 16.

You can find the event on Facebook via this link.

Abstract:

Among the many treatises of Philo that are preserved in the original Greek, there are only two that focus exclusively on philosophical subjects. I am preparing a commentary on the De aeternitate mundi for the Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series (PACS). I will argue that there are grounds for regarding it as the Alexandrian’s most controversial work. Are we sure that it is authentic? What were Philo’s sources? Can we say anything definite about its missing sequel? How does the treatise relate to th e rest of Philo’s writings? And, finally, can we say anything about its Sitz im Leben. I hope to show that, despite its rather scholastic method and structure and its incomplete state, there is much in its contents to fascinate its readers.